Fulfilling your duty to remember at the 11/09 memorial

The World Trade Center is still a complex of business buildings in lower Manhattan, opened in 1973. The twin towers quickly became an inseparable part of New York's famous skyline. 11 September 2001 was a day like any other, untilan airliner crashed between the 93rd and 99th floors of the North Tower at 8.46am.

New Yorkers did not even have time to recover from the shock whena second plane hit the South Tower at 9.03am. The latter collapsed at 9.59am and the North Tower at 10.28am, bringing horror and chaos to New York. The attacks of 11 September claimed 2,977 victims and mobilised more than 10,000 rescuers, first-aiders and volunteers. It took more than eight months to clear the debris from the World Trade Center.

The 11/09 memorial

The 11 September memorial stands in the World Trade Center square and consists of two huge basins in the exact location of the Twin Towers. All around, the names of the 2,977 victims are engraved in bronze panels. There is also a place dedicated to all those who sacrificed their lives to help at the scene of the tragedy, and to those who are still suffering from the after-effects of breathing in the toxic fumes.

Another interesting detail at the 11 September memorial isthe "surviving tree", an ornamental pear tree that was spared by the cloud generated by the attacks and is the only surviving tree from the World Trade Center. It was replanted at the memorial after its rehabilitation.

The 11/09 Museum

Covering an area of 10,210 m², the seven-storey underground museum is located between the memorial's two basins. The"In Memoriam" exhibition pays tribute to the 2,977 victims of the 11 September 2001 attacks, as well as to the 6 people killed in the first attack on the World Trade Center on 26 February 1993. A second exhibition, "September 11, 2001", looks back at what happened on 11/09 at the three sites of the attacks: the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, of course, but also the Pentagon in Washington, and Pennsylvania, where the fourth plane crashed.

This exhibition attempts toexplain the American version of events that led to the attacks claimed by Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network, and the consequences of the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941. In all, the museum contains more than 70,000 objects and artefacts documenting the fate of the victims, survivors and rescue workers who intervened on 11 September 2001.

The attacks of 11 September 2001 had a profound effect on the landscape of New York and on the minds of its inhabitants, so a visit to the memorial is a must on any trip to the United States. Allow at least 3 hours to visit the museum and memorial.

🚌 How to get to the 11/09 memorial

In lower Manhattan, the 11/09 memorial is very well served by public transport:

• line 1: WTC Cortland station
• lines 2 and 3: Park Place station
• lines A, C, 1, 2 or 3: Chambers Street station
• lines A, C, J, Z, 2, 3, 4 or 5: Fulton Street station
• line E: World Trade Center station
• line R: Rector Street or Cortlandt Street stations

⏰ Opening hours of the 11/09 Memorial

The 11 September Memorial is open every day from 9am to 8pm. The museum is open from Wednesday to Monday from 10am to 5pm (last admission at 3.30pm).

👛 Price of the 11/09 Memorial

Access to the 9/11 Memorial is completely free. However, you will have to pay an entrance fee to visit the museum:

• Full price: $26
• Over 65s: $20
• Students: $20
• Under 18s: $20
• Under 13s: $15
• Under 7s: free
• New York CityPASS / GoCity Explorer Pass / New York Sightseeing Day Pass: free

To find out about other prices and book your ticket for the 9/11 museum, go directly to the official 9/11 memorial website.